"'N00b, I have something for you.' I turn to face the voice, surprised to be spoken to directly as all my assignments have arrived via raven scroll thus far. 'I want to reward you for how well you’ve handled being the worst n00b.' Steel Druhm hands me a wrapped package. I stand dumb, just as I always do in the presence of authority figures. 'I think you’ll like it,' he says with a straight face before turning to walk away. I hear a sound that might be snickering as he disappears around the corner, but I’m too amazed at surviving a face-to-face encounter with him to notice. I look down at the package and peel back a corner of the wrapping. I find a sticker that reads, 'For fans of Maiden, Priest, Accept, and Falconer.' Oh my god! Has Christmas come early? Is Steel Druhm one of those “good” evil overlords?" Apes of wrath.[Give in to your anger...]

"Despite originally forming in 1986, The Grand Manifestation is the first full-length offering from Swedish five-piece Third Storm. After just two years and a handful of shows, Third Storm’s original line-up disbanded. It was not until 2014 that founding member, Heval Bozarslan, gathered a new band around him, releasing the Taritiya Me EP a year later. "Despite its Mayhem-inspired cover and the howling winds and distant siren that open the EP, it is not a black metal offering. Some promising-sounding death groove is short-lived and gives way to medium-paced, funeral doom, which dominates most of the 25-minute runtime. Which Third Stormwould be on display on The Grand Manifestation—the anticipated black metal, the groove-laden death that made a brief cameo or the sludgy doom that predominated?" Precious metals sampler.[Give in to your anger...]

"We all know AMG's policy on supergroups, but if ever there was an act that continues to entice, it has to be the Swedish Modern Prometheus, Bloodbath, a band responsible for creating two of my very favorite death metal albums and reliably catering to all my HM2 needs. Our very own Steel Commander saw fit to furnish their previous release with a favorable review, and while I didn't enjoy it quite as much, I can't say they have ever truly disappointed me. Four years drinking deeply of the grave has re-energized the quintet to return and beguile those of a buzzsaw bent with another foray into the old-school." Bloody arrows of death.[Give in to your anger...]

"October is here! In one all-too-short month, we receive Halloween, fall colors, pumpkin spice everything, and a veritable smorgasbord of quality metal releases. My first October release comes courtesy of Vanhelgd with their fifth LP, Deimos Sanktuarium. To get a good baseline for the band, I decided to take a stroll down Vanhelgd's back catalog. What I beheld was doom-laden but familiar Swedish death metal á la At the Gates. I am a fan of Swedeath, but Vanheldg's more established contemporaries haven't won me over as of late." Pumpkins, goblins and Swedeath. [Give in to your anger...]

"One part pop, one part -core, and one part power metal, Amaranthe could only have come from Sweden: a country and people so obsessively modern and image-conscious that they created the Eurovision industry, the national Twitter account, and the marketing model for trend-driven consumption from furniture to clothing. Even some of the most iconic metal Sweden has produced had remarkably trend-driven second acts. In Flames' fall from melodeath darlings to nü-metal wannabes was followed by bands adopting the Swedecore sound. What's the most successful metal band that Sweden has produced since Gothenburg? Well, Ghost. But even for Sweden Amaranthe is another level entirely." Amaranthe is back for more. How's that working out for them? [Give in to your anger...]

"We all know how powerful music can be, but as I meander through another twist of this mortal coil, I find myself pondering its capacity to conjure times gone by. The same way memories are summoned by the senses, certain contortions of distortion take me right back. Heads for the Dead — a supergroup comprised of members of Wombbath, Henry Kane, and Revel in Flesh; amongst others — transport me to a time when I was willing to skin knuckles over my favorite bands; a time when death metal and beer were everything and I would arrogantly inform anyone, whether they were willing to listen or not." Back to the days of trvness and posers.[Give in to your anger...]

"In the vanguard of the retro rock/metal movement are High Spirits, Gygax, Audrey Horne, and Night Flight Orchestra: bands that wear their influences not only on their sleeves, but on their entire bodies. They pay loving homage to the sounds of the 70s and 80s, but their songwriting prowess sets them apart from the crowd. Rather than making a mockery of Thin Lizzy or Toto, they revel in the sound and chart their own path forward – either in earnestness or in ultimate cheese. Sweden’s Hypnos aim to join this exalted group with their third album, Set Fire to the Sky." Fly to the past. [Give in to your anger...]

"Black metal is an incredible source of emotive music disguised in unwavering aggression. The advent of sterling releases from the likes of Gaerea and Sar Isatum, among others, has only reaffirmed that for me. Factor in my implicit trust in Non Serviam’s A&R and here I sit, anxious to give Swedish black-metallers Blood of Serpents their due. From the “deep forests of Småland,” Blood of Serpents follow the same formula scribed by the likes of Marduk and Dissection. Their first album, Black Dawn, showcased mid-paced black metal constructed on a dependable foundation of solid riffs. With sophomore effort, Sulphur Sovereign, the band opted to take their foot and ram it straight through the metal. To describe Sulphur Sovereign as “full speed ahead” would be to commit severe understatement." Is more always more? [Give in to your anger...]

"Look, I get it. Manimal isn't a great band name. Hell, it isn't even a good one. But for once, I need you overly judgmental metal hacks to look past that and keep whatever passes for an open mind round these parts. Highly dubious moniker aside, Manimal is a talented Euro-power band with the good sense to graft a ton of traditional metal akin to Judas Priest's Painkiller to their sound for extra muscle." From Garanimal to Manimal. [Give in to your anger...]

"The masochistic methodology of Muppetism makes for many messes, multiple missteps, and much more metalcore than mere mortals are meant to amass. I wouldn't put up with my own bullshit if it didn't come with perks, and thankfully one of said Muppet bonus features is an almost inability to not be entertained. Long story short: I dragged Vitae from the depths of the Angry Metal Punishment Puddle in hopes of delighting in the suffering of others, so here we are." Metalcore in the morning.[Give in to your anger...]